8 Apr 2020

Continuing to provide the critical services that keep UK nuclear sites open

Cavendish Nuclear’s analytical laboratory in Cumbria continues to deliver critical work for nuclear industry customers, whilst ensuring a safe, protected environment for the workforce based there.

George Phillips, Operations manager, said:

“We provide critical environmental and dosimetry analytical services to a number of the UK’s nuclear sites to ensure they meet their site license requirements. The outbreak of Coronavirus in the UK has not changed that important requirement.

“In the days before the UK wide lockdown, and since, we have been continually updating our customers with the situation at Greeson Court to give them confidence that we are able to continue to provide them with the services they require.”

On a usual day there are typically 60-70 Cavendish staff at Greeson Court, so the company has worked hard to make sure it can continue to provide this critical service to customers whilst adhering to the required social distancing measures and has put in place a number of measures:

• All staff that can work from home and are not part of the laboratory analyst teams have been sent home.
• We worked with all our customers to agree what analysis streams were deemed critical. This allowed us to split our staff into two teams and put them on a weekly rotation, enhancing social distancing at the labs and ensuring that each area of the facility is able to process samples as they are received.
• Break times and lunchtimes have been staggered to minimise the number of people in the communal areas during those times.
• Laboratory staff have been asked to use other offices, now free, for desk work to allow for better social distancing.
• Even though we’re working in the same building, most communication takes place over phone, email or Skype messaging.
• There is an enhanced use of PPE, such as gloves, across the labs..
• The facilities are cleaned on a daily basis.

By working together and implementing and following the restrictions described, and by engaging with our customers, we have been able to provide a safe environment which adheres to social distancing measures and which also enables us to continue to provide the critical analytical services needed.

George said: “I am exceptionally proud of the way my team has responded to the difficult changes in the way they work in a very, very short space of time, of the way they are looking out for one another and the way they are doing this and continuing to deliver for our customers and the nuclear industry.”

Cavendish Nuclear: people who deliver safer, faster, at lower cost.